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General Darling was born in Abilene, Texas and graduated from Abilene High School in 1950. He earned a B.S. degree in 1954 from the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. At A&M he was a member of the Corps of Cadets and was a distinguished graduate of Air Force ROTC.
During a 33-year Air Forced career, Gen. Darling served over 12 years as a B-36/B-52 pilot and aircraft commander before assuming various staff and command positions. These positions included: Air Force personnel plans officer, the Pentagon; executive assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affair, the Pentagon; Commander of the 97th Bombardment Wing, Blytheville AFB, Arkansas; Chief of Aircrew Training for Strategic Air Command (SAC), Offutt AFB, Nebraska; Commandant of the Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Virginia; Vice Commander of Fifteenth Air Force, March AFB, California; and Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Command, Norfolk, Virginia with concurrent responsibilities as Chief of Staff. Gen. Darling retired from the Air Force in 1987 to accept the position of Commandant of Cadets at Texas A&M University and to serve as Head of the School of Military Sciences.
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A command pilot, Gen. Darling accumulated more than 7,000 hours of flying time, including over 500 combat hours in B-52s during the Vietnam war. His military decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, and two Legions of Merit.
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Gen. Darling has finished a book that is a historical record of his 15 years working with the A&M Corps of Cadets. It includes the ups and downs of the Corps, cadet life, problem areas, fundraising, new features that were added, along with successes and failures. The book has been approved for publication by the Texas A&M Press and is expected to be available by the end of December 2026.
